God of wonders

But God’s Spirit participated in the creation of the world

Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God [plural] created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

For the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at the fruit of the Spirit as Paul lists the qualities of agape love in Galatians 5:22-23. Since we remembered and celebrated last Sunday (Pentecost) the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the believers in Jerusalem, it seems fitting that we continue deepening our understanding of the Holy Spirit.

Also, I’m interested in this topic because of the book I’m writing for kids, hoping through story to communicate more about the Trinity than they typically learn in Sunday School. Not that I “understand” this mystery!

The Trinity is present in Scripture from the very beginning. The name for God used in the creation account in Genesis 1, Elohim, is plural. And immediately, the Spirit is singled out, hovering over formless, empty darkness (1:2). Then Elohim said, “Let there be light” …

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-89) heartening poem “God’s Grandeur,” referencing Genesis 1:2, could have been written today.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! Bright wings.

God of Wonders by Steve J. Hindalong and Marc Byrd, Third Day

It’s still Easter!

But Jesus calls us “children of the resurrection”

Luke 20:35-36, 38 [Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:27] Jesus said, “In the age to come, those raised from the dead will never die again. … They are children of God and children of the resurrection. … He is the God of the living not the dead, for they [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob] are all alive.“

Romans 8:10-11, 14, 17 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. … For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. … And since we are his children, we are heirs of God’s glory.

Did you know it’s still Easter?

In the ancient church calendar, Easter is celebrated for fifty days, until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the early believers. Forty days into Easter (this year, on May 29), always therefore on a Thursday, comes Ascension Day, when the church remembers Jesus leaving Earth and returning to his Father in Heaven, while promising: He will come back! And the Holy Spirit of God keeps that promise alive within us.

It’s a wild, joyful, sacred dance choreographed by the Trinity, for us, his children, heirs of his glory.

The season of Easter—not just one day, but seven weeks—gives us the chance to soak in, to absorb, the mystery of life overcoming death. Time to ask and to ponder, What does it mean to be children of the resurrection, heirs of God’s glory?

What does this mean to you, today?

And what does Paul mean by this breathtaking sentence: The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you?

We’re each part of the story shared by humanity on this May 13, 2025, a story in which one man’s name dominates the news that we in this part of the world wake up to each morning. A story in which, as Paul puts it, we groan over the impact of death and decay, sin and suffering—the “bondage of corruption” as it’s translated in the KJV (Romans 8:20-23).

At the same time, we’re part of a much bigger and more important story, a story with a gloriously happy ending.

And just as we’re breathing a sigh of satisfaction as we turn the last page of this story, that everything has come right, we’ll realize that ending is just the beginning of an even bigger story, one imbued with freedom and joy and life.

So, one thing being a child of the resurrection means to me today is that I’m not a victim, neither of my own challenging circumstances or of anyone else’s attitudes or actions. What the world is going through, matters. Especially for those whose around the world whose very lives and livelihood are under threat, it matters a lot. Sooner or later, perpetrators of bullying and abuse will be held accountable for the suffering they have inflicted. It matters.

Yet this is not the end of the story. You and I are not victims. We’re heirs of God’s glory!

Last Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Easter, was Good Shepherd Sunday. I invite you to listen to Lauren’s encouraging sermon.

Ideas for me?

Ideas for me?

But God is three in one

Galatians 4:6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

One of the big differences between Christians and our monotheistic cousins, Muslims, is our understanding and experience of God as three-in-one, Trinitarian.

This central tenet of our faith, I find personally, is easier to experience than to explain. And now I’m wrestling with the best way to express the Trinity to children.

I’ve written a draft of a book for kids about this topic, but I’m not satisfied with it. I showed it to a theologian, who told me I emphasized too much their diversity at the expense of their unity.

So, I thought of reaching out to you who read this blog. How have you explained or illustrated the nature of the Trinity to your children?

Please email me your ideas or write them in the Comments. I would really appreciate your thoughts.

Just for fun, here’s a hilarious clip of St. Patrick explaining the Trinity.

Thanks so much! I’m headed back to Pittsburgh this evening after a week with my sister and brother-in-law in Meridian, Idaho.

In other book news, we’re coming up to the deadline for turning in all the materials for Campfire Song Stories to EA Books, to be available before Christmas. I’m excited about this book, a bringing to life of six of the stories Karis and I imagined together during long days in hospitals, to commemorate ten years since she left us. I have five young illustrators (one of them 12!) and one young vocal artist (11) working hard—I know you and your kids will love their work! Please pray for them as they each complete their assignments. Thank you.

This I Believe (The Creed)

One Name

But God is three in one June 7, 2023

Matthew 28:19 Therefore as you go, make disciples of all the nations [or all peoples], baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever wished for a clear, accessible but carefully thought through reflection on the mysterious doctrine of the Trinity? I offer you a remarkable sermon by systematic theologian Dr. Joel Scandrett, just preached on Trinity Sunday. He even throws in a reference to the classic video, “St Patrick’s Bad Analogies.”

Celtic Triquetra

Seriously, have you ever read the Athanasian Creed? I don’t remember ever doing so until we read it aloud together last Sunday. Really, I think out loud is the only way to read it. You can find it here in modernized language and here in an older translation of the 4^th century Latin.

It might be helpful to note that the word “catholic” means “common” or “comprehensive,” or “all-embracing.” This creed is not specifically referring to the Roman Catholic Church.

What most impressed me Sunday was the mystery, holiness, and power of the Name of God, encompassing all three Persons of the Trinity. The day will come when at the Name, every knee will bow. Try doing a search of the Name of God in Scripture (eg. through Bible Gateway). I think you’ll be inspired, as I am!

*Otto and Idagly apartment update: As of today, their debt has been reduced to $9,000, thanks to the generosity of several kind people. So encouraging for them, and for us!! We’ll be with them just two days from now, in Bogotá, Colombia, along with other country leaders of discipling and pastoring of pastors (DPP). We fly out tomorrow morning. If you don’t hear from me for the next ten days or so, please pray for us at this retreat. Thanks!